Digital Printing How to use our digital printing resources

PDF Workshop

Note that the information below generally applies to both small format printing and large format plotting.

Create Your PDF Using Proper Paper Sizes

Small Format Printers:

• Small format B&W Studio Printers: Letter 8 ½” x 11″ and Tabloid 11″ x 17″ paper
• Small format Color Printers: Letter 8 ½” x 11″ and Tabloid 11″ x 17″ paper

Small format print jobs MUST be specified as either letter or tabloid. All other sizes will be rejected by the system.

Large Format Plotters:

Paper samples are available in the DPC

• Bond paper plotters – $2.50 / LF: 40″ wide roll paper  –  39 1/2″ maximum printable width Minimum length allowed is 6″.  Maximum length allowed is 96″.  No multi-page print jobs.
• Matte paper plotters – $3.50 / LF : 40″ wide roll paper  –  39 1/2″ maximum printable width Minimum length allowed is 6″.  Maximum length allowed is 96″.  No multi-page print jobs.
• Satin paper plotters – $4.50 / LF : 40″ wide roll paper  –  39 1/2″ maximum printable width Minimum length allowed is 6″.  Maximum length allowed is 96″.  No multi-page print jobs.
• PageWide plotter – $2.00 / LF : 40″ wide roll paper  –  39 1/2″ maximum printable width Minimum length allowed is 12″.  Maximum length allowed is 96″.  No multi-page print jobs.

Note that large format print jobs MUST be sized at least 1/2″ smaller than the roll paper width. Full width jobs will not print properly.

IMPORTANT: Multi-page PDFs are fine for the small format printers, but they will be rejected by the large format plotters.  Please create one PDF per board when printing large format.  Also be sure that each PDF file has a unique filename.  The plotters will not process the same filename more than once in a five minute period.

Proper PDF File Creation

Most printing problems are caused by improperly created PDF files.  PDF files intended for printing should contain only that information necessary for printing.  A properly created PDF file for printing will be relatively small in file size and will open quickly.  Indications of potentially problematic PDF files are file sizes of more than 1000 KB per linear foot, and files that open slowly and only one strip or swatch at a time.  These type PDF problems are typically caused by superfluous content such as layer information being included in the PDF file.

The easiest way to avoid these PDF printing problems is to create a 2nd generation PDF file specifically for printing.  This 2nd generation PDF file will be a “clean” version of the original PDF, and will be optimized for printing.  Use the method described below to create a 2nd generation PDF file that will print properly:

2nd Generation PDF File Creation – Optimize PDF

The “Optimize PDF” option is included in both the Windows and Mac versions of Adobe Acrobat (not Reader or the default Apple / Microsoft PDF apps.)  Note that most steps in the detailed procedure below are only necessary the first time you run through the optimization process.

Open your 1^st generation PDF in Acrobat (not Reader) on any Mac or Windows machine and optimize it as follows:

First, follow this one-time procedure to create a custom preset:

• Under All tools click View more, then select Use Print Production.
• Under Use Print Production, select Flattener Preview.
• In the Flattener Preview dialogue, select [High Resolution] from the Preset: drop-down.
• Slide the Raster/Vector Balance: slider all the way to the left (0).
• Select 600 ppi from the Line Art and Text Resolution: drop-down.
• Click the Save button, and save the custom preset as “Full Raster 600.”
• Click the red “X” in the upper right to close the Flattener Preview dialogue.  (Do not click the Apply button.)

Now use the preset created above in the configuration of your optimization settings:

• Under All tools click Compress a PDF, then select Advanced Optimization.
• In the PDF Optimizer dialogue, select Acrobat 4.0 and later from the Make compatible with: drop-down.
• In the list of settings on the left hand side of the dialogue, make sure all six settings categories (Images, Fonts, Transparency, Discard Objects, Discard User Data, and Clean Up) are checked.
• Highlight the Transparency settings category, and select the Full Raster 600 preset (created above) from the Preset: list.
• Highlight the Discard Objects settings category, and make sure all eleven Discard Objects Settings are checked.
• Highlight the Discard User Data settings category, and make sure all seven Discard user related information Settings are checked.
• Highlight the Clean Up settings category, and make sure all seven Clean Up Settings are checked.
• Click OK to exit the PDF Optimizer dialogue, then in the Save Optimized As dialogue, create a new file name and Save the 2^nd generation PDF file.

Note that once all of these settings have been applied, Acrobat Pro should remember them, so that subsequent optimization operations will only take four quick mouse clicks.

Send this “clean” 2nd generation PDF to the printer/plotter.

Troubleshooting problem PDF files

If Acrobat fails to create a new PDF using the above method, or if your 2nd generation PDF file fails to print, troubleshoot as follows.  Go back to the original application (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.) and troubleshoot there.  Things to look for are overly hi-resolution images, shifty fonts, and layered content.

• In general, do not insert one Adobe file type into another (Illustrator into Photoshop, etc.) – especially if the content is layered.  Only move between Adobe applications using JPEG or TIFF image files.
• DO NOT use the PNG image format in any way.  PNGs are intended for the web, not for print.
• Images should be no larger than absolutely necessary. 300 dpi should print just fine, and anything over 600 dpi is a potential problem.  For example, a 4”x 6” image placed in an InDesign file should be about (4”)(300dpi) x (6”)(300dpi) = 1200 x 1800 pixels.
• Fonts from questionable sources should be avoided. When troubleshooting, try substituting a basic system font – if that resolves the problem then you know one of your chosen fonts is the source of the problem.
• Problems related to layered content can often be resolved using commands that “flatten” or “optimize” files within the original application.

If all else fails, try rasterizing the PDF .  Open the original 1st generation PDF in Acrobat and proceed as follows:

• Use the Print command and select Adobe PDF as the printer.
• Click the Advanced button in the upper right.
• Check the Print As Image box, and set the Resolution to 400dpi

Save and send this rasterized PDF to the printer/plotter.